John Drew, chief executive of the YJB, told delegates at the YJB’s annual convention in Newport that the organisation has already saved an estimated £40m a year by decommissioning 700 places over the past four years.
"We will seek to reduce expenditure on custody as much as it is safe to do," Drew said.
He said the estate can work safely if the number of places in use make up around 93 per cent of capacity – leaving necessary spare capacity in case of unforeseen circumstances. The youth prison population is currently around the 2,000 mark.
Drew’s remarks come the day CYP Now revealed the future of secure children's homes has been thrown into doubt because of impending budget cuts by the Youth Justice Board and local authorities.
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